Celebrate Freedom & Learn About Our History

This Juneteenth reading list includes recommendations from the National Museum of African American History and Culture, with some additions from our librarians. The books included cover a variety of reading levels.

Updated May 18, 2023
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The ABCs of black history. [online electronic book]
Cortez, Rio.
Opal Lee and what it means to be free : [online electronic book] the true story
Duncan, Alice Faye
Booklist starred review Black activist Opal Lee had a vision of Juneteenth as a holiday for everyone. This true story celebrates Black joy and inspires children to see their dreams blossom. Growing up in Texas, Opal knew the history of Juneteenth, but she soon discovered that many...
Jubilee : [online electronic book] recipes from two centuries of African America
Tipton-Martin, Toni.
"A celebration of African American cuisine right now, in all of its abundance and variety."--Tejal Rao, The New York Times JAMES BEARD AWARD WINNER * IACP AWARD WINNER * IACP BOOK OF THE YEAR * TONI TIPTON-MARTIN NAMED THE 2021 JULIA CHILD AWARD RECIPIENT
Four hundred souls : a community history of African America, 1619-2019 /
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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A chorus of extraordinary voices tells the epic story of the four-hundred-year journey of African Americans from 1619 to the present--edited by Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, and Keisha N. Blain, author of Set the World on...
The warmth of other suns : the epic story of America's great migration /
Wilkerson, Isabel.
NATIONAL BEST SELLER * NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER * NAMED ONE OF TIME'S TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE DECADE AND ONE OF BUZZFEED'S BEST BOOKS OF THE DECADE   "A brilliant and stirring epic . . ....
How the word is passed : a reckoning with the history of slavery across America
Smith, Clint.
This "important and timely" (Drew Faust, Harvard Magazine) #1 New York Times bestseller examines the legacy of slavery in America--and how both history and memory continue to shape our everyday lives. Beginning in his hometown of New Orleans, Clint...
On Juneteenth /
Gordon-Reed, Annette.
Weaving together American history, dramatic family chronicle, and searing episodes of memoir, Annette Gordon-Reed's On Juneteenth provides a historian's view of the country's long road to Juneteenth, recounting both its origins in Texas and the enormous hardships that African-Americans have...
African American poetry : 250 years of struggle & song /
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Taking the measure of the tradition in a single indispensable volume, African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song sets a new standard for a genuinely deep engagement with Black poetry and its essential expression of American genius.
Stony the road : [online electronic book] reconstruction, white supremacy, and t
Gates, Henry Louis
"Stony the Road presents a bracing alternative to Trump-era white nationalism. . . . In our current politics we recognize African-American history--the spot under our country's rug where the terrorism and injustices of white supremacy are habitually swept. Stony the Road lifts the...
We were eight years in power : an American tragedy /
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
In this "urgently relevant"* collection featuring the landmark essay "The Case for Reparations," the National Book Award-winning author of Between the World and Me "reflects on race, Barack Obama's presidency and its jarring aftermath"*--including the election of Donald...
Conjure women. [online electronic book]
Atakora, Afia
A mother and daughter with a shared talent for healing--and for the conjuring of curses--are at the heart of this dazzling first novel   WINNER OF THE SOCIETY OF AMERICAN HISTORIANS PRIZE * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times * NPR *...
Libertie.
Greenidge, Kaitlyn
The critically acclaimed and Whiting Award-winning author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman returns with Libertie, an unforgettable story about one young Black girl's attempt to find a place where she can be fully, and only, herself Coming...
All different now : Juneteenth, the first day of freedom.
Johnson, Angela, 1961-
Experience the joy of Juneteenth in this celebration of freedom from the award-winning team of Angela Johnson and E.B. Lewis. Through the eyes of one little girl, All Different Now tells the story of the first Juneteenth, the day freedom finally came to the last of the...
Freedom over me : eleven slaves, their lives and dreams brought to life /
Bryan, Ashley
Newbery Honor Book Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Book Using original slave auction and plantation estate documents, Ashley Bryan offers a moving and powerful picture book that contrasts the monetary value of a person with...
The underground railroad.
Whitehead, Colson, 1969-
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * PULITZER PRIZE WINNER * NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER * A magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. * Now an original Amazon Prime Video series directed by...
Stamped : racism, antiracism, and you /
Reynolds, Jason
In this important and compelling young readers adaptation of his National Book Award-winning title, Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, writing with award-winning author Jason Reynolds, chronicles the story of anti-black, racist ideas over the course of American history. Racist ideas in our country...
Tar Beach.
Ringgold, Faith
Illus. in full color. "Ringgold recounts the dream adventure of eight-year-old Cassie Louise Lightfoot, who flies above her apartment-building rooftop, the 'tar beach' of the title, looking down on 1939 Harlem. Part autobiographical, part fictional, this allegorical tale sparkles with symbolic and...
Our skin : a first conversation about race /
Madison, Megan
Based on the research that race, gender, consent, and body positivity should be discussed with toddlers on up, this read-aloud series offers adults the opportunity to begin important conversations with young children in an informed, safe, and supported way. Now available as a hardcover picture...
Get up, stand up.
Marley, Cedella
The third picture book adaptation of one of Bob Marley's beloved songs that has a timely message for children: To counter injustice, lift others up with kindness and courage. A heartfelt and meaningful book that brings Bob Marley's music to life in a new way: As a young...
Brown girl dreaming.
Woodson, Jacqueline
A New York Times Bestseller and National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Red at the Bone, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse.   Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt...

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